Jan 6th - Nelsonville-York (6-3, 1-1) @ Athens (5-3, 2-1)

[NYBuckeye96]

Great win by the NY Buckeyes over our biggest rival, the Athens Bulldogs! GO BUCKS!

[Amarranavajas]

Still waiting on someone to admit that I was right. Oh well, great job Jay proving that you are the better coach, and continuing on the quest for a TVC title. The first one of the year I might add.

[93Bulldog]

Still waiting on someone to admit that I was right. Oh well, great job Jay proving that you are the better coach, and continuing on the quest for a TVC title. The first one of the year I might add.

How would have Nelsonville-York faired without Casey Cox and Kyle Moore?

Athens lost center Mitch Rider prior to the season and PG Devon Sharp two weeks ago ... that's tough ... and Athens still was about to win the game in regulation (on the shoulders of two freshmen at that.)

Pull two freshmen up to the varsity -start them - and put Casey and Kyle in street cloths and replay the game.

For coach Skinner to have his team still playing hard and in games is pretty impressive ... and he's has done a darn good coaching job considering the attrition they've faced since the start of the season.

[Amarranavajas]

Still waiting on someone to admit that I was right. Oh well, great job Jay proving that you are the better coach, and continuing on the quest for a TVC title. The first one of the year I might add.

How would have Nelsonville-York faired without Casey Cox and Kyle Moore?

Athens lost center Mitch Rider prior to the season and PG Devon Sharp two weeks ago ... that's tough ... and Athens still was about to win the game in regulation (on the shoulders of two freshmen at that.)

Pull two freshmen up to the varsity -start them - and put Casey and Kyle in street cloths and replay the game.

For coach Skinner to have his team still playing hard and in games is pretty impressive ... and he's has done a darn good coaching job considering the attrition they've faced since the start of the season.

We will give you Rider and Sharp back, if we can get Alec Swingle and Nathan Dean back on the team who both would start this year going on last years performances. Yes both teams have lost players, and we see which coach made the most of it, and he is making sure his players are keeping their grades up so they are eligible. That is part of being a head coach. Two years ago, when Athens had all that talent, all we heard about was how Skinner was the best coach in the area. Now we are seeing how things are going with some adversity, and loss of some talented players. Jay is making the most of what he has to work with, and I say that is pretty impressive.

[93Bulldog]

Yea, I'm not going to get bated into an argument over coach Kline and coach Skinner ... I like both coaches, have stuck up for both in the past and have a great deal of respect for both guys ... But not having Swingle or Dean is not the same as losing your primary ball handler mid-stream ... Everything changes, your offense changes, how teams defend you changes, etc...etc... Take away Casey for the rest of the season - then you will understand. The Buckeyes knew from day 1 they weren't going to have those players - and not only that - they replaced them with Austin North and Clint Handa.

Athens didn't have the luxury of replacing a 6-foot-3 bruiser in Mitch Rider, it couldn't make its other power forward Josh Maxson get healthy and can't replace the speed Devon Sharp provided. The preconcieved notion heading into the season was the starting five for Athens would be SKINNER, SHARP, RIDER, MAXSON & STANLEY (the same starting five that went 18-2 two years ago on the JV team) ... When the season tipped off at the Athens Shriners preview - Maxson was just getting out of the hospital and lost 30 pounds (he still doesn't look 100%), Stanley was dealing with football injuries and is just now looking at full strength, Rider is out for the season and is wearing a shoulder brace and although Sharp played for a month - he is no longer on the team ... I don't care if your Bobby Knight or Thad Matta - to lose that much in one season and have to try and win games with a make-shift line-up that includes two freshmen is darn near impossible.

[Amarranavajas]

Yea, I'm not going to get bated into an argument over coach Kline and coach Skinner ... I like both coaches, have stuck up for both in the past and have a great deal of respect for both guys ... But not having Swingle or Dean is not the same as losing your primary ball handler mid-stream ... Everything changes, your offense changes, how teams defend you changes, etc...etc... Take away Casey for the rest of the season - then you will understand. The Buckeyes knew from day 1 they weren't going to have those players - and not only that - they replaced them with Austin North and Clint Handa.

Athens didn't have the luxury of replacing a 6-foot-3 bruiser in Mitch Rider, it couldn't make its other power forward Josh Maxson get healthy and can't replace the speed Devon Sharp provided. The preconcieved notion heading into the season was the starting five for Athens would be SKINNER, SHARP, RIDER, MAXSON & STANLEY (the same starting five that went 18-2 two years ago on the JV team) ... When the season tipped off at the Athens Shriners preview - Maxson was just getting out of the hospital and lost 30 pounds (he still doesn't look 100%), Stanley was dealing with football injuries and is just now looking at full strength, Rider is out for the season and is wearing a shoulder brace and although Sharp played for a month - he is no longer on the team ... I don't care if your Bobby Knight or Thad Matta - to lose that much in one season and have to try and win games with a make-shift line-up that includes two freshmen is darn near impossible.

Swingle is 6'6, and Dean is 6'1 which is way taller than North and Handa so no comparison there. If Cox becomes academically ineligible then he won't get to play either, but Jay won't allow him or any other player to do that. That is part of coaching. No again, when the talent was there the coach was praised as the best in the area. Now that the success is not there excuses are given about injuries and other woes. Truth is Jay's boy was sick as a dog during the Athens game, and other players were not feeling well and fighting injuries. And the preconceived notion preseason was that Swingle and Dean would be on the floor for NY, but Jay had to adjust. Cox came out of no where. No one was talking about him last season as being a dominant player in the area. But Jay was instrumental in developing him, and he is one of the best in the area. So let's give Jay some credit, and stop making excuses for the coaches he is beating.

[93Bulldog]

Go back back through the pages on SEOPS Amarranavajas ... You will find a Nelsonville-York thread where coach Kline recieved a lot of critsism before the season started - but not from me - I made a few posts supporing coach Kline! I'm not making excuses for anyone - I've been praising coach Skinner for doing the best with what he's had to deal with this season - there is a big difference. Not sure I'm gonna agree with you over the Casey Cox statement though ... Ive watched just about every game the Buckeyes have played the last four years - and Cox has been the starting PG (primary ball handler) the last three. He didn't come out of nowhere - he's just been scoring more this season.

BTW ... I have absolutly no knowlege on this matter - but why isn't Swingle playing for the Buckeyes? I mean, its not like he lives three states away - he just slid over to Crooksville to play? Why didn't Nathan Dean play?

[93Bulldog]

NY has hands down the most talent. The question will be, can the coaching finally measure up to the talent of the players? Remember, they had the best players last year and finished near the basement.

This was just one of the posts I found ... there were many more.

Here is another:

Some people are still fans but realists too. Just because he says that he thinks that NY will not win many games doesn't mean he is not a fan. I am a huge NY fan, and I know people on here like to say I'm not because of how they take the things I say. However, I have never not hoped for a NY victory at every event I go to. That being said, the proof is in the pudding. NY has talent, but will more than likely find a way to lose basketball games. Only time will tell. I will be at every single one of them hoping that I can eat my words. Comes down to one thing. COACHING.

I get what you're saying and agree but this was all football season too.

[Amarranavajas]

NY has hands down the most talent. The question will be, can the coaching finally measure up to the talent of the players? Remember, they had the best players last year and finished near the basement.

This was just one of the posts I found ... there were many more.

Here is another:

Some people are still fans but realists too. Just because he says that he thinks that NY will not win many games doesn't mean he is not a fan. I am a huge NY fan, and I know people on here like to say I'm not because of how they take the things I say. However, I have never not hoped for a NY victory at every event I go to. That being said, the proof is in the pudding. NY has talent, but will more than likely find a way to lose basketball games. Only time will tell. I will be at every single one of them hoping that I can eat my words. Comes down to one thing. COACHING.

I get what you're saying and agree but this was all football season too.

Yes when it was thought that we would have the two players who are not there I believed they had the best talent. But with those two not playing they do not. Therefore, Jay is doing a stellar job beating these deemed great coaches. I have changed my opinion simply because Jay has turned it around with even less talent than last year. Skinner had a great year two years ago, but last year, not so much. This year, not so much. One coach doing better with less, one not so much. That's what I'm saying. As for Cox, you are kidding me I am guessing? He has improved ten fold easily.

[Amarranavajas]

Also, if I had the time I could go back into the archives from two years ago and bring back posts about Skinner being one of the best coaches in the state. Surprisingly , no such posts this year. Hmmmm....

[93Bulldog]

Not sure I remember such posts about being 'the best in the state.'

All the people I know have the same feelings toward coach Skinner now as they did two years ago ... Me included.

[Amarranavajas]

Not sure I remember such posts about being 'the best in the state.'

All the people I know have the same feelings toward coach Skinner now as they did two years ago ... Me included.

They are not posting the same things on here now though are they? There were those saying, "one of the best in the state..." when he was voted coach of the year. Not saying he is a bad coach. Just not at the level they claimed then. He has had the one great season, and he has had terrible seasons. Jay on the other hand has never gotten any credit from very many NY fans, me included. Now he should be, and I am going to give it to him.

[Pitstop Billy]

This is a bit of a down year at NY in terms of coaching. Otherwise, our genetically superior athletes wouldnt have lost to athens in anything. Once the PE teacher puts in a bid when the current coach does his yearly pseudo-resignation, we will get the football program where it used to be.

[93Bulldog]

I'm still kind of confused on the 'best in the state' comments and who might have said that - but oh well ... You know, I live in Athens & talk to numerous people that are involved in or like athletics around here and NOT ONE person has changed their perception about coach Skinner ... They like what he did two years ago & they really like what he's done this season ... How a coach handles a ton of adversity sometimes is more impressive than how he handles talent ... And coach Skinner has done both pretty darn well ... He took a team with talent and went 19-1 and won a league title. He has a team now that has been decimated with injuries and lost its starting PG - yet Athens is still in second place in the TVC-Ohio with two freshmen in the starting line-up. I just don't know what else you could ask for?

As for coach Kline ... I was giving him credit clear back when not many people were - including numerous Nelsonville-York posters. Just to win games and gain support in a town like Nelsonville, where football is king, then you deserve some applause.

[Purple&Yellow Pride]

Football should never be the king anywhere. We sure dont put up with that mentality in racine.